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There are several key elements to a good risotto but the primary ingredient, rice, is the base for a risotto. Use only short-grained rice (not basmati long grained types) such as Carnaroli, Arborio or Vialone which all make ideal risottos.
Although Arborio rice is most frequently used outside of Italy, probably the best rice for most risottos is Carnaroli. It absorbs the butter and cheese very well making a very creamy risotto. Next best, and a very good second best, is Arborio rice. It's a good all-rounder and absorbs liquids and oils well. Finally, Vialone rice is the least absorbent of all the risotto rice and it works well where a more liquid risotto is called for. Fat grained rice used for risotto originates from China and was first grown in Italy in the early 1400s. The climate and water around the River Po in Italy is probably the best area for growing rice and it remains so to this day. Although pasta is eaten much more frequently in Italy compared to rice, the export of rice from Italy is hugely important to its economy. Probably the best know risotto recipe in the world is risotto alla Milanese. This is a classic, simple risotto coloured and flavoured with saffron. The history behind risotto alla Milanese is interesting if a bit doubtful. The story goes that when the Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano) was being built, the task of staining the windows was left to a young man with the name of Valerius. He wanted to make his name and after much experimentation came to the conclusion that adding saffron to the pigments used to stain the windows improved their brightness. His fellow colleagues joked with him frequently about his use of saffron and this clearly annoyed him somewhat. To get back at them, when he was cooking basic risotto at a wedding, he added saffron to the risotto to give it more colour. This new version of risotto was an instant success and risotto alla Milanese was born. Classic risotto involves a couple of easy but specific techniques if it is truly to be called a risotto. First, the rice is briefly fried in oil and butter with whatever vegetables are to be added. Then stock and wine are added. The stock however, is not just poured in, it is slowly added over 20 minutes, ladle full by ladle full. This process is extremely therapeutic for the risotto cook, and it can be done whilst chatting with fellow diners. The final stage of cooking a risotto is the addition of butter and Parmesan cheese, but once again, it is not just added to the risotto. It is added and then briskly stirred in for a minute. The process is called manticato in Italian. The risotto must then rest for a minute or two, off the heat, to allow the full creamy texture to develop. The beauty of risotto is that once the basic recipe is mastered, and it is not very difficult, all manner of other ingredients can be used to add flavour. But take a tip from us, add a maximum of three extra ingredients, two is probably best. That way the true creamy texture of the risotto is allowed to shine through.
Click the left hand navigation bar (recipes) of this page to explore lots of different risotto
recipes. And remember, these risotto recipes have been cooked by us at least twice to
ensure they are correct. The pictures on each page prove this this website is not just a
copying exercise, we have cooked everything that appears here. |
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